Out of the blue today, T came to me and said, "My friend is homeless. That makes me feel like crying." Those statements damn near made me cry. I asked her how she knows her friend is homeless and she said, "Because she told me she is." (which is true btw) So right now she's outside questioning her 5 yr old sister about what it means to be homeless, if her sister cares their friends are homeless, and asking what they can do. What was a little disturbing at first when she told me they're "playing homeless", turns out to be her way of expressing her upset and empathy for her friend's situation.
There's all this talk about people with autism not showing and/or feeling empathy. I think the complete opposite is true, at least of my dear T. I believe emotions and feelings hit her so much more intensely than the majority of the NT population. Just because someone doesn't react the way society expects doesn't mean it's wrong or absent. She may state to you that she's concerned and feels like crying (without shedding a tear or missing a beat), and I believe that is absolutely true. I also believe in order to harness all she does feel that she has to give it in a "just the facts ma'am" way. You see, that same 6 yr old who's stating info. in a direct, no nonsense way, is also the one who will be up at 3 am a month from now, crying about her friend's situation and worrying ceaselessly about her and the things we discussed today. How many NT people can you say that about?
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